Bengal: SSB seizes gold, silver at India-Nepal border; four held

Kolkata: The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) seized gold and silver from a car travelling from India to Nepal at the international border in West Bengal on Friday.

Four persons travelling in the car have been apprehended and handed over to the Customs Department.

The incident occurred at around 11.40 a.m. during routine checking at the New Mechi Bridge in Panitanki by personnel of D Company, 41 Battalion, SSB, Ranidanga.

“The Border Intelligence Team (BIT) intercepted a silver-coloured Maruti Suzuki Ertiga (Registration No. WB 74 BU 1274) travelling from India towards Nepal with four occupants,” a senior SSB official said.

The official said that during baggage scanning and checking, one passenger, Dhanjit Patgiri (47), was found carrying a bag containing suspected gold bars and gold and silver coins.

Patgiri and the others were questioned.

The security personnel stopped them from proceeding further after they failed to produce documents or provide a satisfactory explanation regarding the items.

According to the official, the seized items included four gold bars weighing about 10 grams each, three gold coins weighing nearly 20 grams each, and a 100-gram silver coin.

Apart from Patgiri, the other occupants of the car have been identified as Ashish Poddar (33), Vikash Agarwal (36) and Naba Kumar Roy (41), the driver.

It is yet to be ascertained whether the others knew what Patgiri was carrying.

“The seizure and apprehension were carried out under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962,” the official said.

He added that the seized articles, vehicle and apprehended persons were handed over to the Customs Office, Panitanki, for further necessary legal action.

While it is not known why Patgiri was carrying the gold and silver to Nepal, some believe that he planned to sell the items there.

Authorities are trying to ascertain whether the items belong to him.

Gold and silver are currently cheaper in India than in Nepal.

Officials said smugglers often attempt to take precious metals across the border and sell them at a premium.

This is an open border, and citizens of both countries are allowed to move across without passports or visas.

This poses a major challenge for the SSB, as not every person can be searched.

Troops now rely on intelligence inputs to nab cross-border criminals.

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